Former Brown & Wood Partner Convicted in KPMG Case

A federal jury in Manhattan has convicted Raymond Ruble, a former partner at Brown & Wood, along with Robert Pfaff and John Larson, two former executives of BIg Four auditor KPMG, of multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion.

A third KPMG executive, David Greenberg, was acquitted. Greenberg’s attorneys, David Pitofsky and Richard Strassberg of Goodwin Procter, told reporters they are “extremely pleased.”

Pfaff’s lawyer, David Scheper of Overland Borenstein Scheper & Kim, told reporters that he is “deeply disappointed” and will appeal.

Both Ruble’s lawyer, Jack Hoffinger of Hoffinger Stern & Ross, and Thomas Hagemann of Gardere, who represented Larson, declined to comment.

It’s a much needed win for the Manhattan US attorney’s office. After bringing indictments against 19 defendants, it has seen its case dramatically reduced by Judge Lewis Kaplan, who tossed charges against 13 of the defendants two years ago. The Second Circuit upheld that decision.

Brown & Wood exsited from 1914 to 2001, when it merged with Sidley & Austin to become Sidley Austin LLP .